Move Over, Irene: The Deadliest (and Costliest) Hurricanes on Record

Hurricane Irene (and its hype) may have had much of the East Coast runnin' scared over the weekend, but the storm had nothing on the most destructive hurricanes in history. From the Great Storm of 1893 to the devastating Katrina, these natural disasters caused all sorts of horrific damage with intense winds, rain and floods, taking lives and causing financial ruin along the way. Below, according to a report by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are the five deadliest hurricanes to hit the U.S. since 1851, followed by the five costliest hurricanes to hit this country since 1900. They'll make your candle-lit, subway-free weekend seem, in retrospect, like it was an off-the-grid getaway.

Deadliest hurricanes to hit US (1851–2010)

1. The Hurricane of 1900, Galveston, Texas

Category 4

Fatalities: 8,000-12,000

With estimated winds of 145 mph, this storm—which occurred before hurricanes were named (a practice that began in 1953)—remains the deadliest natural disaster to have ever hit the U.S.

2. Okeechobee Hurricane, Florida, 1928

Category 4

Fatalities: 2,500-3,000

Hitting just after the land and real estate boom in South Florida, just as several new developments were under way, this wrecker caused a storm surge of 10 feet and severe damage in Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Jupiter, Delray Beach, Lake Worth. But most deaths was around Lake Okeechobee, where black migrant farm workers were drowned by major flooding.

3. Katrina, 2005; Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi

Category 3

Fatalities: 1,200

Still fresh in the minds of most Americans, Katrina, touching down in Plaquemines Parish, LA, with 125 mph winds, was the most destructive hurricane to ever strike the U.S. It caused deaths in Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, though most were in New Orleans, due to the catastrophic failure of the city's levee systems, coupled with a bungled response from officials, prompting a slew of lawsuits, investigations and still-not-recovered-from traumas.

4. The Great October Storm of 1893, Louisiana

Category 4

Fatalities: 1,100-1,400

The storm destroyed Cheniere Caminada, a multicultural, French-speaking fishing community on a lush peninsula about 55 miles south of New Orleans. About half of the town’s population was wiped out by storm surges and winds, and as a result of its hard-to-reach area, with no protection from barrier islands. Residents were buried in mass graves; destruction here greatly impacted the country's orange and rice crops.

5. Sea Islands Hurricane, South Carolina and Georgia, 1893

Category 3

Fatalities: 1,000-2,000

After making landfall in Savannah, GA, with 120 mph winds, many people drowned and an estimated 30,000 were left homeless. Because of other efforts in the region, the Red Cross wasn't able to arrive for over a month and, even after that, recovery efforts were thwarted by another Category 3 hurricane in the region.

The Costliest Hurricanes to Strike the U.S. Mainland from 1900 to 2010 (adjusted for inflation):

1. Katrina, 2005

Category 3

Cost: $105,840 million

See above.

2. Andrew, 1992

Category 5

Cost: $45,561 million

Andrew wreaked economic havoc from the Bahamas through south Florida and south-central Louisiana, hitting Dade County particularly hard with sustained winds of up to 165 mph—flattening whole neighborhoods, and leaving nearly 65 people dead and up to a quarter of a million temporarily homeless.

3. Ike, 2008

Category 2

Cost: $27,700 million

Galveston, Texas, must have had flashbacks to 1900 (see No. 1 in first list) when this storm touched down, bringing with it 120 mph winds that caused severe damage from here to along the Louisiana coastline—plus flooding along the Mississippi coastline and Florida panhandle.

4. Wilma, 2005

Category 3

Cost: $20,587 million

The third hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season to reach Category 5, Wilma brought sustained winds of 175 mph to Florida (after first slapping Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula). The storm spawned several tornadoes and left many without power for two to three weeks, disrupted endless college classes and postponed college football games, caused wind damage throughout Miami-Dade county, and destroyed orange trees, sending orange juice futures to their highest levels in six years.

5. Ivan, 2004

Category 3

Cost: $19,831 million

After cutting a disastrous path across Granada, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cuba, Ivan tore up parts of Alabama and northern Florida, killing more than 30 people stateside and becoming the costliest hurricane on record at the time.

Sprouted in NJ and planted firmly in NYC, my sense of wanderlust has taken me to all but three states in the union (sorry, MT, ND, and MN!) and a slew of countries—from India and Turkey to Cuba and Mexico (my favorite). I love a fab hotel. A former editor at Time Out New Yo...